Peter Kay brought to tears on opening show of comeback tour at Manchester's AO Arena

Peter Kay was brought to tears on the opening night of his first live comedy tour in 12 years.

The Bolton comedian, who has been largely absent from the public eye for the last four years, received a standing ovation at Manchester's AO Arena on Friday.

Audiences chanted his name as he took to the stage, with fans up on their feet for several minutes.

He appeared overwhelmed by the reaction, pausing to lean against a stool on stage before standing up and dabbing his eyes.

“Oh Jesus look at me, I mean what’s that all about… how am I supposed to do bloody comedy now?” he asked audiences, prompting the first laughs of the evening.

He reportedly added: “Lovely Manchester you made me cry… where did it come from, all that emotion?”

The live tour marks the 49-year-old's highly anticipated return to stand-up comedy.

He is touring up and down the country in a mammoth arena tour spanning from December to August 2023.

Kay kicked off his comeback tour at the Manchester AO Arena on Friday and is due to visit Birmingham, Liverpool, Sheffield, Belfast, Newcastle, Glasgow and Dublin, with the run ending at the Sheffield Utilita Arena in August.

Peter Kay broke the Guinness World Record for biggest-selling run of all time for his 2010 live tour, where he played to more than 1.2 million people.

In 2021 Kay returned to the stage for two special charity events raising money for Laura Nuttall, a then 20-year-old with an aggressive type of brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme.

There was also a brief return in January 2021 when he appeared on BBC Radio 2 to chat to Cat Deeley – who was filling in after Graham Norton left the station – about his love of music, mixtapes and the musical Mamma Mia.

He also made a surprise appearance at a charity screening of his series Car Share in 2018.

Kay cancelled his last tour in December 2017, citing “unforeseen family circumstances”.

Over the last few years, Kay has delighted fans with his hit Bafta-winning TV series Car Share and stand-up routines.

Following the announcement of his upcoming tour, Kay's official website appeared to crash briefly under increased online traffic.

Here's a full list of his 2022/23 tour dates.

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